Contact: Lou Groce, Director of Media and Information, 920-229-8157

GRINNELL, Iowa – St. Norbert College is expected to win its second consecutive Midwest Conference (MWC) Baseball North Division title this spring, while Cornell College is expected to win its first ever South Division crown, based on the results of the 2017 MWC Preseason Coaches’ Poll. 

The Green Knights earned seven out of a possible eight first-place votes to finish with a total of 31 points, easily surpassing second-place Ripon College, who had 24.  Last year’s MWC champion Beloit College finished third in the North with 20 points, while Lawrence University finished fourth with 11 points. 

In the south, Cornell will be challenged by rival Grinnell College.  Cornell earned 35 points in the poll to finish just two points in front on the defending South Division Champions.  The Rams earned six first-place tallies, while Grinnell earned just one.  Monmouth College finished third in the rankings with 23 points, followed by Illinois College (20) and Knox College (19).   

The Rams open the MWC season today when they head to Iowa City to play the University of Iowa. 

Below is a team-by-team preview of all nine MWC baseball programs. 

Beloit College Buccaneers
Head Coach: Dave DeGeorge (27^th season) 397-454-1, 172-222 MWC
2016: 27-14, 10-6 MWC North
Projected MWC Finish: 3^rd in MWC North
Returning Position Starters: 7
Returning Pitching Starters: 2
All-Conference Returners: Kam Sallee and Mike Gulve

The Buccaneers look to keep the momentum going in 2017 after a surprise run to the conference championship last season.  It was Beloit’s first conference title since 2009 and the 27 victories last year have reigning MWC Coach of the Year Dave DeGeorge just three wins shy of 400 for his career.  The Bucs bring back a lot of experience from last year’s team including All-MWC infielders Mike Gulve and Kam Sallee.  Sallee hit an impressive .344 last season and led the team in home runs (5), RBI (36), total bases (76) and slugging percentage (.494).  Gulve led the squad in doubles (12), walks (37) and on-base percentage (.470).  The Bucs also bring back catcher Jeremy Dutton, shortstop Mark Christine and outfielders Brice Call and Jalen Davis.  Despite losing all-conference pitcher Ryan Kaveney, Beloit brings back two solid starters in Luke Brennan and Austin Padjen.  Brennan was 4-1 on the season with a 3.35 earned run average, while Padjen was 5-4 with a 3.56 ERA.  Relievers Colton Lopez and Jamie Huntley will be important arms as well.  Lopez was 3-0 in seven appearances last season and finished the year with a 2.70 ERA, while Huntley led the team with 16 appearances and a 4.85 ERA. 

Cornell College Rams
Head Coach: Seth Wing (4^th season) 53-59, 25-23 MWC
2016: 22-16, 12-4 MWC South
Projected MWC Finish: 1^st in MWC South
Returning Position Starters: 5
Returning Pitching Starters: 3
All-Conference Returners: Walker Breard, John Tesensky, Eric Daubach

The South Division favorites return a wealth of talent of in the field and on the mound including 2016 all-region selection Walker Breard.  The junior set a single-season school record last season with 51 RBI and has a total of 94 hits and 20 bombs in his first two season in Mount Vernon.  Last season’s Elite 20 Award winner John Tesensky returns to the outfield.  The senior hit .377 last spring with 49 hits and 12 doubles.  Senior catcher Josh Dimmitt returns to the backstop and will be catching for a solid group of pitchers.  All-conference starter Eric Daubach is the ace of the staff after finishing the season with a 2.94 ERA in 11 starts.  Andy Dodson was a perfect 3-0 last season in six starts and posted a 3.07 ERA, while Tyrus Hartman made nine starts for the Rams, going 3-3.  Relievers Zachary Greenwald and Spencer Peterman will also be counted on again this spring. 

Grinnell College Pioneers
Head Coach: Tim Hollibaugh (24^th season) 332-301, 150-137 MWC
2016: 30-8, 14-2 MWC South
Projected MWC Finish: 2^nd in MWC South
Returning Position Starters: 3
Returning Pitching Starters: 2
All-Conference Returners: Matt Hammond

The Pioneers are coming off of a record-breaking season in which they won a school record 30 games and entered the top 25 national rankings for the first time.  Under head coach Tim Hollibaugh, the Pioneers have won the MWC South Division title in six of the last seven seasons and bring back a strong group of players this spring.  Matt Hammond is a three-time All-MWC selection and was the South Division’s Player of the Year in 2015.  He hit .312 last season with six homers and 31 driven in, while managing a pitching staff that posted a team ERA of 3.48.  First basemen Sam Galanek and shortstop Niko Takayesu should solidify the infield.  Galanek was second on the team last season with a .341 average, while Takayesu hit .328 and drew an impressive 18 walks.  2016 part-time starters Michael Slattery, Teague Towner, Benjamin Wong and Ravi Levens should also provide plenty of experience in the infield.  Charles Carr and Andrew Mack combined to start eight games on the mound last season, but with the departure of the Pioneers’ top three starters more will be counted on them this spring.  Ben Binversie and Sam Lopez will have key roles out of the pen. 

Illinois College Blueboys
Head Coach: Jay Eckhouse (16^th season) 231-257-1, 80-116 MWC
2016: 15-21, 2-14 MWC
Projected MWC Finish: 4th in MWC South
Returning Position Starters: 7
Returning Pitching Starters: 2
All-Conference Returners: Cain Brady

Shortstop Cain Brady was a First Team All-Region Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings All-Central Region selection last season and will lead the Blueboys again in 2017.  Brady was a force last season and led the MWC in hits (63), doubles (15) and total bases (101), while hitting a second-best .444 for the year.  Defensively, he was fifth in the league with 103 assists.  Left fielder Connor Melton hit an even .300 last season, and should team with Anthony Lucchesi and Dalton Kerans for an experienced outfield.  Seth Woollen should also see some time in the outfield, while Alec Wade will be at first and Taw Fredrickson will be at the hot corner. 

Dylan Jones and Tyler Kozaritz are the top returning pitchers for the Blueboys.  The duo made a combined 15 starts last season and finished with a season record of 4-7.  Jared Guizzetti was Illinois College’s top reliever last season after making eight appearances out of the bullpen and finishing with a 4.82 ERA. 

Knox College Prairie Fire
Head Coach: Jamie Isaacson (18^th season) 194-360, 84-136 MWC
2016: 12-22, 5-11 MWC
Projected MWC Finish: 5^th in MWC South
Returning Position Starters: 5
Returning Pitching Starters: 3
All-Conference Returners: Drake Sykes, Matt McCaffrey

All-American Drake Sykes led the country in batting average last season at .487.  The outfielder also led the conference in slugging percentage (.846) and on-base percentage (.583) and finished second in the league with 99 total bases.  All-conference shortstop Matt McCaffrey knocked in 28 runs last spring, one fewer than Sykes, and hit an impressive .333. First basemen Ryan Witendorf also had a tremendous offensive season in 2016, hitting .339, slugging .619 and having an on-base percentage of .421.  On the mound, Alec Jordan was Knox’s top pitcher last spring and produced a 3.45 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 60 innings pitched.  Tom Janczur also returns to the staff after making seven starts and appearing in 10 games last season. 

Lawrence University Vikings
Head Coach: Jason Anderson (9^th season) 76-202, 25-103 MWC
2016: 11-25, 5-11 MWC
Projected MWC Finish: 4^th in MWC North
Returning Position Starters: 7
Returning Pitching Starters: 1
All-Conference Returners: Matt Holliday, Nolan Spencer

Two-time All-MWC selection Matt Holliday is the core of the Vikings’ squad.  He hit .412 last season and went 4-1 on the mound.  Lawrence will likely have just one senior starter, second basemen/outfielder Brandon Klar, and the rest of the squad is made up of talented underclassmen.  Juniors occupy multiple starting positions in catcher Travis Weber, first baseman Cole Erickson, infielder/outfielder Anthony Ortiz, outfielder Zach Rabideau and starting pitcher Kyle Duex.  The Vikings also return two outstanding sophomores to the starting lineup in all-conference shortstop Nolan Spencer and center fielder Andrew Lauber.

Monmouth College Fighting Scots
Head Coach: Alan Betourne (2^nd season) 18-17, 7-9 MWC
2016: 18-17, 7-9 MWC
Projected MWC Finish: 4^th in MWC South
Returning Position Starters: 8
Returning Pitching Starters: 3
All-Conference Returners: Austin Hardy, Ryan Sparks

The Fighting Scots’ top two players return to the diamond this spring as Monmouth hopes to make a push for their first MWC Tournament since 2011.  Hardy was named an All-MWC and All-Central Region performer as a utility player last spring after dominating on the mound and providing some thunder from the plate.  The senior hit a team-leading .384 last spring with 13 doubles, four homers and 32 RBI, while finishing the season with a 1.48 ERA in seven starts.  Sparks hit .377 for the year as a second basemen and led the team with 14 doubles and five homers.  Sparks also came out of the bullpen on six occasions and struck out eight batters in 10 1/3 innings pitched.  The Scots entire outfield of Harry Sanchez, Jake Starkey and Grant Myers all come back as do starting pitchers Tyler and Connor McDonald.  Tyler made 10 starts last season and finished 3-5 with a 3.32 ERA, while Connor finished 2-2 in five starts.  The pitching staff will be familiar with their batterymate Dayton Ince, who started 19 games last season and hit an impressive .353. 

Ripon College Red Hawks
Head Coach: Eric Cruise (4^th season) 83-71, 51-13 MWC
2016: 11-24, 9-7 MWC
Projected MWC Finish: 2^nd in MWC North
Returning Position Starters: 6
Returning Pitching Starters: 4
All-Conference Returners: Drew Slade

After a down year in 2016, the Red Hawks will be gunning for a spot in the MWC Tournament once again with 19 returning letterwinners and 10 starters.  Ripon will need to replace its two best hitters from last season in Nick Kita and Nick Schmitt.  Isiah Ramos is the Red Hawks’ top hitter with a .254 average last season, while Josh Oswald was second on the team with 23 RBI.  On the mound, Drew Slade was an All-MWC selection last season after going 3-3 with a 2.39 ERA.  Slade struck out an impressive 50 batters in just 52.2 innings pitched.  Fellow starters, David Knapp, Brice Swick and Matt Hecht will attempt to make up the conference rotation.  Ryan Maier will be a critical arm out of the pen and is just 13 appearances shy of setting the Ripon school record. 

St. Norbert College Green Knights
Head Coach: Tom Winske (19^th season) 390-259-1, 208-79 MWC
2016: 20-17, 10-6 MWC
Projected MWC Finish: 1^st in MWC North
Returning Position Starters: 6
Returning Pitching Starters: 2
All-Conference Returners: Tyler Banovich, Jake McMahon, Derek Klegin

The Green Knights are expected to win another North Division title in 2017 and the effort should be boosted with the return of Player of the Year Tyler Banovich and Pitcher of the Year Jake McMahon.  Banovich hit .436 last season with 41 RBI.  The junior also led the team with a .556 slugging percentage and had an on-base percent of .521.  All-conference infielder Derek Klegin had a team-leading 20 steals in 23 attempts last spring and led the team with 128 assists.  Hunter Larson also returns to the infield.  In the outfield, Sean Grant, Griffin Jack and Jason Malkowski will provide plenty of experience.  Grant hit .318 last season with seven doubles, two triples and 27 knocked in.  Malkowski is also a solid arm in the Green Knight rotation.  The junior started eight games last season and had three wins with a 3.56 ERA.  McMahon dominated opposing hitters in 2016, allowing them to hit just .223 and striking out 63 in 75 2/3 innings.  The senior had an even 5-5 record, but put together an impressive 2.26 ERA.